What If?
by Lady Snow Blood
Summary: What if Hitomi was Van's sister? What if Folken never died? DH romance. plz R&R!
1. Cahpter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne...wahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

For a sixteen year old, Hitomi had never acted her age. Come to think of it, she never did. When she was ten, she acted twelve; when twelve, she acted fourteen. People thought this was because she was always surrounded by older people. True, she was surrounded by two brothers: Twenty year old Van, and Twenty-five year old Folken, King of Fanelia. But the reason she acted like this was because Hitomi was secretly tormented on the inside. It was not because her parents had both died of some mysterious illness when she was young. She had gotten over that years ago. No, it was because she had dreams. Dreams that would make the bravest Fanelian samurais cower in fear. She told people of her dreams. And as a result, she was sent to Freid to "calm her sanity" for five years. It had helped. No longer was she the "cursed princess", but the "blessed princess" for she had grown up to be so lovely that even dragons were known to kneel down to her.

"Such a curse to have so much power," Hitomi thought, for already suitors from all over Gaea had come to win her hand. And each time, she had refused. The suitors were either brainless, ugly, or both. Her brothers couldn't blame her. Anyway, they wanted her to stay in Fanelia. She was always there when they wanted to spar. Hitomi was an expert swordswoman, after all. This had earned her the title "Swordswoman of Fanelia." Unfortunately, the title had also attracted a rather strange empire, Zaibach.

Zaibach had technology above all countries, including Asturia, one of the largest countries on Gaea. Close to the borders of Fanelia, Asturia, Freid, and Basram, Zaibach would have easily become a threat to all countries if it weren't for the peace treaties.

And now, it was time Fanelia to sign the treaty. The treaty was Hitomi herself. If she accepted Zaibach's suitor, General Adelphos, war between Fanelia and Zaibach would cease to exist, not that there was war in the first place. But if she didn't, then the Allied Countries, Freid, Asturia, and Fanelia would be at war.

Hitomi was devastated when she found out. General Adelphos was a large arrogant man in his fourthies with a large bushy moustache. Instantly, Hitomi hated him.

"I know you don't want to marry him, Tomi-chan, but if you want peace to last in Gaea, then you have no choice." Folken had said to her one night.

"What if I stay in Zaibach until the sparring tournament, then tell them that I'd like to be the Fanelian Ambassador for Zaibach instead?" she asked. Folken, who doupted the idea, agreed with her anyway. After all, the sparring tournament was only a few weeks away. So the next thing she knew, Hitomi was on a carriage to Zaibach with Adelphos.

"I hope you like it at Zaibach," Adelphos's voice drifted though her head. Hitomi could tell he was trying to make her talk. She looked up.

"Yes." she lied. "I've heard much about it, and visiting it would be a wonderful opportunity."

"Living in it would be much better, though."

"I wish I could say the same, but I love Fanelia more than anything else. I would feel terrible to be separated from my country."

"But you've lived in Freid for five years! Surely it is nothing compared to the vast empire of Zaibach?"

"I have to admit I cannot compare Freid to Zaibach until I see it first." Hitomi said coldly, ending the conversation. The rest of the journey was silent except for the sounds of the forest.

When they reached Zaibach, Hitomi could only stare. It was nothing like Freid, which suggested a religious country. Asturia's capital city Palas was only a busy town compared to Zaibach's capital, Zaibach City (A/N: typical, ne?). Fanelia itself was a backwatered country compared to Zaibach. Then they reached the castle, which looked more like a small mountain.

"This is no castle, milady." Adelphos suddenly said. "This is the Vione, the flying fortress. You will be lounging there during your stay. If you like it here, you be living in it." He informed her with kindness, but Hitomi could hear no warmth in it.

Finally, Hitomi was settled in her room. It was more luxurious than the one in Fanelia, where she had happily slept in a room surrounded by white walls. When she looked outside, she was greeted by a forest. Here, when she looked out the window, she was greeted by a city. She didn't mind that much, but the atmosphere around her was too heavy for her taste. Sighing, she sat on the four-poster bed. It was soft, made for long winter nights. It was only a day since she had left Fanelia, yet she had already missed it.

Suddenly a knock from the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," Hitomi said. A boy about the age of twenty stepped in. He had silver hair, and red eyes. He wore a red and black uniform with shoulder spikes. Hitomi supposed he was another general or something, for Adelphos wore the same uniform, but no shoulder spikes.

"I'm Dilandau." he informed her. "I'll be giving you a tour on the Vione. And after that, we'll go down to dinner."

"Where's General Adelphos?" Hitomi asked, confused at the fact that Adelphos himself hadn't bothered to take her on a tour himself. Dilandau grinned.

"You actually have feelings or that old brute?" he asked.

"No. Come to think of it, I wouldn't care less if a rock fell on top of him, ending his life." Usually, Hitomi would've kept her feelings about others to herself, but something about this boy made her want to talk. She continued,

"And when I found out that I was to marry him, it was like being sent away to my death. I don't want to spend my life with him! When I asked him about sparring, he said that I shouldn't spare. And when my brother, Van, told him I'm a tomboy, he laughed and said that he would have to 'tame' me. I don't like the sound of it"

"You spar?" Dilandau suddenly interrupted. Hitomi nodded.

"I'm an expert. My brothers taught me since I was little." Dilandau's grin became wider.

"Why don't we spar after dinner?" he asked. Hitomi looked up at him with a glint in her eye.

"Your on." she replied as she stood up and walked to the door. "Now, how about that tour you were going to give me?"

It was at dinner when she first saw him. A boy her age had bowed down to Dilandau, who was known as Dilandau-sama to the boy. He had the same honey-brown hair and green eyes Hitomi had. His name was Chesta. He wore the same uniform as Dilandau, but it was blue and black. He had no shoulder spikes. Around him were his fellow soldiers. They were known as the Dragon Slayers, the best soldiers of Zaibach. Apparently, Dilandau was their commander. Hitomi stared at him. They looked so much like each other. But before she had a chance to do anything else, General Adelphos came strolling into view.

"Milady how was your tour with General Albatou?" he asked.

"I enjoyed it." Hitomi replied shyly. She didn't feel comfortable under his gaze.

"Dilandau and I are going to spar after dinner. That is, if you don't have plans for the night that concern me." She trembled a little as she said the last words. He said he was going to 'tame' her after all. Fortunately, Adelphos didn't have any plans for her. But he was enraged when she had said Dilandau's name.

"Dilandau, let me talk to you for a second," he said. Smirking, Dilandau followed him into a room.

"What do you have up your sleeves, boy?" Adelphos growled.

"Nothing in particular." Dilandau answered smoothly. Smirking once more, he went out of the door only to find Hitomi engaged in a conversation with the Dragon Slayers who were flirting like mad. And that was he noticed the likeness of Hitomi and Chesta.

"Are you two related?" he asked them, ending the conversation. Hitomi shrugged, whereas Chesta said, "No sir." Throwing his Dragon Slayers a look that said 'no flirting in my presence', Dilandau said, "It's dinner. Come." He led them to the dining hall California Cool.

* * *

Van stared into the sky. It was nightfall, yet he didn't feel like sleeping. His younger sister Hitomi was probably in Zaibach by now. Standing on the rooftop he had been lying on, he took off his shirt. Then, with a _swoosh_, white, angelic wings emerged form is back. A small gasp was heard from behind. Turning around sharply, he found a young girl two years younger than him with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes staring at him in awe. 

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"My name is Celena Schezar, a maid." she answered. "I saw you come up. You looked like you needed a talk with someone to let out some feelings, so I followed you, milord. But I didn't expect you to be" her voice trailed off as she thought of a word to describe the winged prince.

"A demon?" Van said helpfully. He thought the name Schezar sounded familiar. "If that was the word you were looking for, then you're right. I'm a draconian, Celena." To his surprise, Celena shook her head.

"No, not a demon. An angel." She looked at him with pure innocence and truth. He moved towards her.

"Would you like to fly?" he asked, extending a hand. To his surprise, Celena took it giddily. In one fluid motion, he lifted her bridal style and flew into the air. They went over the city.

"It's beautiful," he heard Celena say.

"I know. Celena, I want to show you something, but you must never show it to anyone else. Promise?"

"I promise," Celena whispered in his ear, and suddenly, she Van turned into a dive, making Celena hold him tightly. Van, who had been expecting a scream, was surprised when he didn't hear any. As they almost collided with the rooftops of the forest, he pulled the dive and landed near a small lake.

"Wow," Celena said as he put her down.

"I know. I love this place so much. Sometimes, swans would fly down." Van lay down on the soft grass. Celena followed the same suit.

"Milord-," she started, but was interrupted by Van.

"Just call me Van." He said gruffly.

"Van," Celena started again. "Have you ever run away like a coward because you didn't want to face something?"

"Countless." Van grinned, thinking about the times he run away from the cook when he was a little boy.

"Well, I have to admit. I was not always a maid. My brother is a former Knight of Caeli. I was delighted to find out, but then suitors started to arrive. I refused them all. At first, he didn't mind. But when the prince of Basram himself came, he said that he would make the decision himself. Apparently, the answer was yes. But I didn't want to marry the prince, so I ran away. I came here instead."

"Your brother's Allen Schezar?" Van asked.

"Yes. But he's probably disowned me, not that I care."

"Celena I could get you a better job." Van said suddenly as to change to topic of conversation.

"I've always wanted to be a librarian." Celena giggled.

"Then be Fanelia's royal bookkeeper." he said.

"Seriously?" Celena asked. Her face now held a serious look. Van nodded.

"Why not?" he reasoned. Suddenly, she hugged him.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm sick of hearing the other maids gossip about me."

"Well, now you don't have to hear them anymore." With another _swoosh_, Van, who was now standing and carrying Celena bridal style let out his wings. And into the night, they flew back to the castle.

A/N: So, how do guys like it? It's kinda long, but I suppose it alright... Okay, I admit. I totally SUCK!!!!!!!

but, who cares? plz R&R!


	2. Chapter Two

Chap 2.

Hitomi dodged an attack from Dilandau. 'Damn, he's good,' she thought. 'But then again, he should be good. After all, he is a Zaibach general.'

Hitomi had been dueling with Dilandau for the past hour now. He was winning, but not without struggle. Hitomi put up a good fight. They dueled for another thirty minutes. Finally, Hitomi collapsed sown.

"Too... tired..." she panted. Dilandau swept some sweat from his brow.

"You put up a good fight." He commented. "But, you're out of practice. Tomorrow, come here at about eight if you want and train with some soldiers. They'll be willing to duel with you when defeat the first one." Hitomi frowned. Once in a while, a man would refuse to fight with her in fear of 'hurting her'.

"Are all men like this?" she asked angrily. "Do you all think that it's inappropriate for woman to fight?" Dilandau looked unimpressed at her.

"No. I respect woman who could defend themselves. But others like General Adelphos-," he smirked at the name. "But others like him don't think it's appropriate for you to fight."

Hitomi slammed her fist into the wall behind her in anger.

"I don't want to marry him." she cried. As Dilandau's the light purple tunic disappeared beneath the red armor he had taken off, he chuckled.

"Hitomi, did you ever thought about changing your own fate?" he questioned. Hitomi shook her head. A priest in Freid had once told her that it was no use to try and change your own fate; it was already written. So if you were to marry someone, so be it. Don't try to run away. And her alternate choices all led to dead end anyway...

"Run away, Hitomi. Run away from Zaibach." Dilandau's voice drifted in her head.

"I can't." She replied. "Fanelia and the Allied Countries will face war if I do. Can't you see, Dilandau? No matter where I run, I face something bad, like Adelphos. Why couldn't your Emperor have chosen someone else besides Adelphos as my suitor? Maybe things would be much easier for me to choose."

"You don't want to marry the Copper, Silver, or Golden Generals. They carry almost the same traits as Adelphos." Dilandau's answer made Hitomi flinch.

"Of course," he continued, "if you want to escape marriage, you can always become a Dragon Slayer under my rule. But, you'll be treated the same way they're being treated. Meaning your royalty will have no meaning to me..."

"Will there be any other girls?" Hitomi interrupted.

"No," Dilandau smiled. "You'll be the very first."

"Let me think about this." she said and left the training room.

* * *

Eries Aston was not your common woman. Strict and straight as a wooden board, she was nicknamed the Ice Princess of Asturia. Her heart, rumored to have been made out of ice, never melted and she almost never laughed. But then again, most people would have acted the same way. Her family had almost never paid attention to her. In fact, the only person who _did_ take a second glance at her was Folken Lacour de Fanel. 

_She loved him._

But love wasn't Eries' specialty. The affection she felt for him was between romantic and sibling-ish (A/N: What do you call it? I know there's a word for sibling-ish.) She had had this feeling for many years. The moment she laid her eyes on him, to be precise. So what was she to do when she was told that he would be at the same place she would be in a few hours? Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the world below. She had always loved riding on airships. The one going to Zaibach was one of the fastest in the Asturian fleet. The reason they were here was because Zaibach had been chosen to host the yearly sparring tournament.

"Eries." said a voice behind her. Eries wheeled around to see her sixteen year old sister, Millerna behind her.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We'll be arriving in Zaibach City in a few days. Lady Hitomi will there as well. It's been a year since we've seen her. Do you think she be the same? Chid will be there as well. He's about six now, I think. Oh, and General Albatou will be there as well. I heard he's grown handsomer over the years. Maybe, perhaps, he'll take notice of me and dance with me like last time..."

Eries rolled her eyes. Her ditzy, boy-loving sister could be _so_ annoying sometimes.

"Millerna, for your information, Hitomi has changed over the year, judging by her letters. Chid is five years, although he'll be turning six in a few months. General Albatou is known to be interested in women who can fight, and are pretty. He'll take no notice of you if you continue your blabbering."

"I knew that." Millerna squeaked in a quiet voice. Eries rolled her eyes again.

* * *

Chesta rolled over in his sleep. Suddenly, the alarm clock near his bedside table rang. As he set it off and watched his fellow Slayers stir about, he thought about his dream. 

_Fire! Burning!_

"_Run! Chesta, take your sister and run!"_

"_But I don't know where she is."_

"_Go and find her, then! RUN!" _

Blinking sleepily, he got off the bed, and set off to the bathroom, still thinking. He hadn't had the dream in years. Ever since his village was destroyed by the Basramanians, he had lost hope in finding her. In the first attack, she had been separated from the community, and it had been blamed on him. He loved his sister more than anything, but at the current time, he couldn't even remember her name. Wasn't it something like Helen? On the second attack, his village burned to the ground. He was a child-thief until he had been taken into the military at age ten. From that time, he had promised himself that his past was to forever be forgotten; his future was much more important. And at that very age, the dream that had once more haunted him, disappeared. But for some reason, it was back.

What could it mean?

A few steps behind Miguel, a fellow Slayer, he was shocked to find himself in Dilandau-sama's throne room. Kneeling down, he noticed the Princess Hitomi standing beside his master's throne. She looked nervous, but nonetheless beautiful... and strange. Her hair was tied up, she was wearing tights, and she had a sword at her belt. Chesta raised an eyebrow. Was she learning how to fight? He could almost laugh at the sight of her holding a sword. But he kept his laughter to himself as Lord Dilandau inspected them and gave out his speech.

"As you all know by now," Dilandau said. "Zaibach is hosting the sparring tournament this year. This year, there will be two representatives from each country. The first one to represent Zaibach will be me. The second one will be one of you. But first, in order to prove yourselves worthy, you must defeat the Lady Hitomi." Here, he stopped pacing around them and gestured his hand to her. She nodded, and he went back to his throne to watch.

A/N: Well, there's the second chappy for you.

Sakura Shinquji-Albatou: California cool is when u don't have a care in the world... wish i can be like that...

Socerer of Darkness, bandescafreak, and sush: Arigatou!


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The old saying, "I don't own esca; never have, never will."

Hitomi's POV

When Dilandau offered the Dragon Slayers to spar against me, I thought that he was training me. But I was wrong. He was using me. Instead of dueling with his Slayers himself, he used me.

Convenient, ne? But it didn't matter after a while.

The first duel, between Viole and me, was not to challenging. But after that, came Guimel and Dallet. They were a little harder to duel with. Gatti, Dilandau's messenger, was a lot more than I thought he was, and almost defeated me. I guess it was because he wasn't so underestimating as Viole, Guimel, or Dallet. I planned to save my energy for the last opponent, Miguel; I had seen him fight once. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me.

I was dueling with Chesta when I first began to use more of my strength. We were practically mirroring each other's move. It was as though we shared the same thoughts. It was strange, dueling with him. I felt like I was dueling my own self for we look so much alike. Some people on the Vione actually said that we were twins. It was, of course, a lie. How can we be related?

Anyway, as we neared a window, he accidentally cut my hair, which was tied up. And like all girls who care about their hair, I was pissed. My hair, which is now short, took me three ears to grow. There was a silence as Chesta took a few steps away from me, knowing what a girl was capable of doing when angered.

Immediately, my feminine instincts took over me. I began to bash him with my sword, not caring whether I was damaging it or not, while shouting and cursing at him. The only thing he could do was defend himself from me.

"HOW DARE YOU CUT MY HAIR OFF LIKE THAT? DID YOU KNOW THAT IT TOOK ME THREE YEARS TO GROW THAT HAIR??? CURSE YOU, YOU INSOLENT SCUM! YOU BASTARD! YOU-!"

It must been hilarious at the time, because by the time I had beaten up Chesta into bruises and sores, Dilandau was rolling on the floor, laughing. The Dragon Slayers too, were laughing. Most of the anger I had suddenly lifted, and I felt triumph instead.

"And this, Gentlemen, is what happens to you if you cut a woman's hair!" I called out in an amused voice. At this moment, I glanced at Chesta, who had returned to the line where the Dragon Slayers stood, hanging his head in shame and embarrassment. 'Serves him right,' a voice in my head said, but I felt a moment of pity for him instead. However, it all disappeared when I dueled with Miguel.

The amused laughter was now replaced with a serious atmosphere. In a few minutes, however, it was over. Miguel had quickly hit the flat side of his blade on my stomach, and I flopped down in pain, losing the duel.

"That's cheating!" I cried out in pain and embarrassment.

"Not in the sparring tournament rules, it's not." Miguel smirked at me. I glared at him in returned.

"Slayers, dismissed!" Dilandau's voice floated around the room. "And Lavariel, congrats." All who had been watching quickly left, including Miguel. Finally, it was only Dilandau and me.

"You did good today." he said. "How's your stomach?"

"I'm fine." I said. It was true. "But my hair! What am I gonna do with short hair?" Dilandau cupped my chin into his hand.

"A girl with short hair is no interest to Adelphos." he said. "If you act more like a boy in court than you do now, he might persuade Startegos Argonaut to leave you be." He then left me there, in the training room, feeling foolish. His third in command had, after all, defeated me.

Normal POV

-In Dilandau's bedroom-

Dilandau lay down on his bed and thought about the morning's match with Chesta and Hitomi. 'They looked so alike.' he said to himself. 'Is it possible that they're related?' But he dismissed the idea as soon as possible. If Chesta was related to Hitomi in anyway, then either Chesta was a noble Fanelian by birth, or Hitomi was adopted by the royal family. But whether they were related or not, was not of his concern.

Dilandau was more concerned about Hitomi's answer of his offer. If she accepted it, she would fight in his honor, not to mention being the first woman to have made it into the Dragon Slayers. But then again, she would have less chance of seeing her beloved Fanelia as much as she did in her current state (becoming Adelphos's wife). Whatever decision she made, she would be signing the peace treaty between Fanelia and Zaibach. He knew that he was still using her as a peace treaty and as another trophy of Zaibach, but becoming a Dragon Slayer was the only way she would be able to escape her marriage to the brutal beast, Adelphos.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he, General Dilandau Albatou, Captain of the Dragon Slayers, one of Zaibach's best soldiers, felt guilty about it. 'But why?' he asked himself.

'Probably because you're attracted to her.' A voice in his head told him. But as quickly as possible, he shrugged the idea off him. The last girl he had fallen in love with was someone who had run away from him. He still remembered her smile. The way she used to laugh and talk, the way she touched his hand with pure kindness. But when he had confessed his love to her, she had run away from him.

_Flashback_

"_What! Am I not good enough for you?" Dilandau snarled at her._

"_It's not that, Dilly-,"_

"_Stop calling me that! It's Dilandau!"_

"_Dilandau, it's not that your bad or anything, it's just that I don't feel _right _when I'm with you."_

"_Get away from me, bitch!"_

"_Dilandau..."_

"_Get AWAY from me, bitch."_

_End Flashback_

It had hurt, knowing that she didn't love him. He was younger back then, only eighteen years. She was only sixteen, two years younger than him. She wasn't ready to love him yet. Hitomi, now sixteen, probably felt the same way towards him. She wouldn't give a second thought from running away from him if he confessed his thoughts to her. Wait a second- since when did he start concerning about her?

As the sun set in the sky, the Red General was left to ponder his thoughts.

* * *

Celena was not a happy person at the moment. Van had just asked her to accompany him to Zaibach for the sparring tournament. 

_Flashback_

Van walked casually towards the librarian's desk. Sitting in her chair, was Celena, reading.

"Hey Celena!" he called. Celena looked up.

"Oh, hi Van. Are you looking for a book or something?" she asked. Van shook his head.

"No, I want you to accompany me to Zaibach for the sparring tournament. Please?" he gave her the puppy eyes. Celena laughed. Over the few weeks of her new job, they had gotten extremely close. Apparently, he found out that puppy eyes were her weakness.

"Okay, I'll go with you. I'll have to assign someone else as librarian while I'm gone." Van jumped into the air.

"YES!" he cried. Giggling madly, Celena dismissed him from the library for shouting.

_End Flashback_

She had been so careless back then. But now, it was different. Now, she was worried. Going to Zaibach would mean she would get to see the tournament. But then again, it would mean she would have to face someone she did not want to meet. Sure, she could go and tell Van she didn't want to go. But that would hurt his feelings. Looking out of her bedroom window, she sighed, not knowing what to do.

* * *

A/N: 

bandescafreak: thanx 4 that review!

koriina: ur on the right track... to tell you the truth, i sorta got that idea rom u .: looks around shiftily:. hehe, just joking! but yeah, ur on the rite track.

kimpatsu no hoseki: .:evil grin:. maybe ur rite, maye ur wrong.

sakura shinguji-albatou: trust me, there r alot of FxE pairings... u just have to dig up the stories that go waaaaaaaay back to 2000. there's a fic called Hitomi, Girl Dragonslayer or somethin... check it out! i haven't read it yet (no time . ), so i can't tell u anything bout it. oh well, nevermind. hey, wen r u gonna update La Ra Everlasting Forest? that fic is SO good.

sorcerer of darkness: im trying to decide wether Hitomi should enter the tournament or not.

well, ppl, that was Chapter Three. it should've een longer, but it WASN'T! i promise i'll write a longer chapter next time...

cya!

Lady Snow Blood


	4. Chapter Four

Chap 4.

_Beautiful._ That was a word Allen Schezar used to describe his wonderful sister. And because he had praised her so many times, she had run away from him. It was rather sad. He didn't know what her perception of the conflict was, but it had greatly upset her. Even though it was a few years since the scene, Allen Schezar still remember what had happened.

Life was as peaceful as ever, and Celena was refusing any suitor that came three feet near her. He, Allen Schezar, found it funny. He would silently laugh at the worthless suitors whenever Celena pulled a prank on them. But on the outside, he did not seem please even thought he was well beyond content with his sister.

It all ended when the Basramanian prince stepped foot on their threshold. He was desperate for Celena's hand in marriage, and sunk low enough to drug Allen with a special herb. He gave Allen the herb as a gift, telling him that the herb would make a man more handsome than he really was. The false medicine had immediate effect. Allen, instead of being more charming, suffered from short temper, and it altered his attitude. He forced Celena into this marriage if she didn't agree with it herself. It was lucky that she had enough wit to run away on her own accord.

But even so it didn't help much. She ran to the gates of Zaibach. And there, she met the almighty General Albatou. In his courtesy, she hid his in house as a maid. Unfortunately, he fell in love with her. And after finally admitting his feelings to her, he proposed to her. But Celena, too proud to admit that she loved him as well, refused it. Her rejection had destroyed their friendship and he chased her to the borders of Fanelia, cursing her name. That was when Allen lost track of her. That was when his spies he had sent to look after her when he found out that the herb was false, had been discovered, but mistaken as enemy spies, beheaded. After that, Allen could only pray that his sister was either in the Heavens or that she was living happily and comfortably with someone she could trust.

But that was all a long time ago, a fragment of the past. It was now two years since that had happened. But even though he had gotten over that conflict months ago, Allen had never found the heart to forgive Dilandau Albatou. And he would be getting all his revenge on him in the tournament. Yes, he Allen Schezar, Knight of Caeli, would be sparring for Asturia in a few days. It also meant that he'd be sparring against Dilandau. The last time they had been sparring, Allen had defeated Dilandau narrowly. It wasn't going to happen again, however. This year, Allen would defeat Dilandau juicily and palpably.

Meanwhile, he'd have to put up with Princess Millerna's flirts and winks while lounging on the _Crusader_, the airship flying to Zaibach. How old was she exactly? Fifteen? Sixteen? He himself was at least twenty-three. She was only a child to him. And anyway, Princess Eries would've had a flip when she found out that he was having an affair with her. The first affair he had caused Eries to throw a tantrum; she had degraded him as a punishment. What would her reaction to this one be?

_Flashback_

"_Are you crazy, Allen? She's engaged to the Duke of Freid! If Father finds out, he'll have your head on a platter!" Eries angrily threw a nearby book at him. Allen winced as another on crashed into the window. Eries clutched her skirt her dress tightly and tried to calm herself as the glass on the window cracked and shattered. Eries, though younger than Marlene Aston by several years, was extremely protective of her sister. _

"_I don't want anyone to know about this, Schezar," she said in deep breaths. Eries' temper was known to have caused people injuries. He didn't want his face scarred by her cat-like nails. 'The best way to co-operate is to agree.' he thought. Allen nodded to show that he understood. _

"_From now on," he said. "I will not speak of Marlene, our relationships, and most importantly, the consequences of what had happened. I will serve under her as-,"_

"_AS WHAT? A COMFORT OBJECT? SHE HAS A RIGHT TO RID OF YOU, SCHEZAR! YOU ARE LUCKY THAT OUR FATHER DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS. From now on, you are no longer in her service. You will serve under Asturia as a Knight of Caeli. At least you won't be meeting her frequently, Schezar." With that, Eries pointed to the door and put a hand to her head. "Leave," she instructed. Allen only did as he was told. _

_End Flashback _

Allen shut his eyes as he turned his back against Princess Millerna. She smiled as he opened his eyes to see her in front of him again.

"Yes, milady? May I help you?" he asked. She giggled. "I only ask for counsel, Sir Allen. We are landing soon, and I'd like to impress my dear friend, Lady Hitomi of Fanelia. What should I wear? I want her to think I am a mature woman, and not some little girl like I was years ago." Allen blinked. Weren't the Lady Hitomi and Millerna the same age? Hold on a sec, if they were the same age, and they were friends, did that mean that the Lady Hitomi was just another girl like Millerna? 'Goddesses,' Allen thought. 'What's to become of me?'

"I advise, milady," he said out loud, "that you should not wear something frilly. Wear something dark and not too many jewelry. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go to my room; I have some paperwork to finish." Millerna blinked. What a great advisor Allen was! He was also charming and handsome. Too bad she already had an eye on General Albatou.

Life was almost too boring for Hitomi Fanel. What was there to do in Zaibach? Her daily schedule was consumed by the same routine everyday; wake up, eat, train, go to the library, eat, stare out the window, talk to Dilandau, avoid Adelphos...Oh, was there anything she could do in this place? It felt like a cage. Day after day, she asked the Strategos or Adelphos (when she didn't feel like avoiding him) if she could go outside or not. The answer was always the same: "No, it is not safe out there." Gods, she was sick of that answer. When will they realize that she wasn't a bird to be kept in a cage?

Finally, on the fifth day of visiting, Hitomi decided to sneak out. She asked Dilandau about this, and he willingly agreed to help her.

"I'll come with you for this one," he said to her in the library. "But I can't come with you all the time. I have to train for the tournament."." Hitomi nodded.

"I myself don't know whether I'd be entering or not. It depends on my brother, Folken. If he wishes not to participate, then Van'll take his place and I'll take Van's."

"If he doesn't participate, then I'm quite looking forward to seeing you on the battle field, losing." Dilandau added. Hitomi punched him lightly in the shoulder and looked out the window. "So," she said. "How am I going to sneak out? Disguise?"

"No. That won't work. There are a few places where you can just slip through in and out of here. Let me show you the most convenient one." They got up and Hitomi silently, but eagerly, followed him. At first, she thought they were going to the back of the Vione, but then, he took an unexpected turn downstairs. They went deeper and deeper into the underground part of Zaibach. Finally, Dilandau stopped at a wall and took out a key from his pocket.

"The place you are about to witness hasn't been checked for ages. Don't scream or cry out." he instructed. Hitomi nodded although she knew it was no use. There was no light underground and she only knew Dilandau was still there by putting a hand on his back to make sure he was still there.

Dilandau, after thinking she understood, opened the wall. It wasn't a wall, as Hitomi suddenly realized. 'It was a door to the...dungeons.' There was light glowing from burning torches in the dungeon. As the past some cells, Hitomi swore she could've heard someone crying or whispering quietly. Frightened, she clutched Dilandau tightly in the arm.

"Don't be scared." he whispered. Hitomi nodded but continued clutching him. Suddenly, she stopped. In a place where there should've been a cell, there was a wall with magnificent carvings. She stared at the carvings. A star...the Mystic Moon...an eye The carvings were detailed, but the symbols on the wall were...strange. She felt like she had seen them somewhere before. But where? As she struggled to keep up with Dilandau, who was pulling her away from the carvings, and to wonder where she had seen the carvings before, the world suddenly became black and she couldn't breathe.

_**Flash**_

_Fire...Burning houses...a boy..._

"_Helena! Run!" _

"_Brother!" _

_**Flash**_

_An old woman...An angry looking man..._

"_Your daughter is gifted with the sight, don't let her lose it." _

"_It's a curse! Not a gift!"_

_**Flash**_

_A young woman surrounded by two boys and her husband, looking at a little girl._

"_Where did you find her?"_

"_I found her at the borders of Fanelia, mother. I found her when we went to check the burnt village, father and I."_

"_She must never find out that we aren't her real parents, Folken." _

_**Flash**_

_A red eyed man, standing behind a brown headed woman._

"_You know how much I love you..."_

Hitomi opened her eyes. Looking around, she realized she was in the hospital room. Taking calm breaths like the old Priest in Freid had told her to do, she tried to erase the dream she had jus witnessed. She hadn't had a dream like this in at least one and a half years. It was unnerving to have your sanity go bonkers when you knew it was finally normal.

'But was it ever normal?' Hitomi thought. Ever since she could remember, Hitomi had had dreams that chilled her to the bone. No wonder she had always feared the night one way or another. She remembered how much teasing she got from Van for being scared of the night. But the teasing was the reason they were so close to each other.

"You mean you're scared? Come one, you're eight years old. And you're such a big baby." A twelve year-old Van teased his little sister.

"I'm not." An eight year-old Hitomi pouted.

"Baby, baby, baby..."

"I'm not!" Hurt, the little girl ran away from her older brother. She ran and ran until it was nightfall. It was then she suddenly realized she was in the middle of the woods. And surprisingly, the wood was very unfamiliar at night.

Walking cautiously, she tried not to make any noises. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. Right behind her, was a land dragon, one of the most vicious of his kind. It grunted.

Hitomi took a step backward, then another step, and another step. The dragon mad a move as to catch a prey. Instinctively, Hitomi turned around and broke into a run. She ran faster than she ever had. Running, running, and running a little more. She kept on running, not even when she ran out of breathe, for she knew that she'd be dragon food if she stopped.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, and angel dived down and grabbed her. It was Van. He had come to rescue her!

"Hitomi, are you okay?" he asked. Hitomi whimpered. "Stupid girl," he said after a while. "You should've known I was only kidding. When we get back home, I swear I will teach you the art of sparring so you can just take out your emotions by doing that, instead of almost becoming dragon chow." Ever since then, the two siblings had become closer to each other. Hitomi grinned at the thought of it.

"What are you grinning about?" a voice from the doorway said. It was Dilandau who had come to check on her.

"You have few things to tell me." Hitomi demanded.

"And you've just lost your chance to get out of here."

"Whatever. I want to know why the carvings on the wall were there."

"_Shh_. I thought you knew enough not to mention it."

"There's no one here but us."

"The walls have ears here, I swear."

"Right..."

"No seriously."

"Nevermind. How long was I unconscious?"

"About two hours. Already half the Zaibach militia thinks you've fainted because of too much of stress. And that I had found you in the hallway, half dead."

"Oh. So I'm the damsel in distress, and you're my knight in shining amour?"

"Pretty close. At least, that's what they think. The maids will be gossiping by tomorrow. Probably rumors of ou and I having an affair."

"I can't wait to see Adelphos's face when he finds out." Hitomi burst out giggling. Dilandau rolled his eyes.

"Would you like me to egg his bedroom and tell him you did it because you didn't want bad luck?"

"If only I didn't care about my reputation..."

"I knew it. You women are all the same! Always caring about reputation! Even _she_ did!"

"Who?" Hitomi asked curiously.

"No one." Dilandau snapped back. Hitomi pouted.

"There's no need to be angry." she said, temper rising up. Dilandau shook his head and went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What's with him?" Hitomi wondered out loud. The door opened again, only to reveal a nurse who had come to check on her.

"Ah, you're awake." she said. "Let me take your pulse..."

Folken yawned. The meeting he had with his councilors about Fanelia's contact with the outside world was the most boring yet. Who cared if Asturia had a bigger economic system? Who cared if Zaibach's industrial cities were larger than Fanelia? 'It's not _my _problem.' he thought. Putting on one of his emotionless face to hide his boredom, Folken pretended to listen to the talkative advisor beside him.

"I think that it's time for Fanelia to have a queen." the advisor randomly said. This woke Folken up.

"What?" he said in a very un-kingly voice.

"Fanelia has to produce an heir, sir." the advisor said.

"And your suggestion of a queen would be..."

"Princess Lousiana from Basram." the advisor from across the table suggested. "Basram has a lot of oil. Creating a tie with it will make Fanelia larger."

"No, no." an old advisor at the corner of the table said. "The Basramanian princess is a great spender of money. The peasants will rebel."

"Well then, what about her sister, Princess Laria?"

"Too young, you silly man." The old advisor shook his head and looked up at Folken. "There aren't many a choice, but your decision is most important."

"What about Princess Eries?" Folken asked blankly. All at once, the room was full of murmurs and agreements.

"Yes, how could we have overlooked her?"

"Princess Eries, young, beautiful, and smart. She'll make a good queen."

"King Folken has made a very good choice in this matter."

"Very well, then. I will make a proposal to Asturia after the tournament. So unless anyone has anything to add to this, the meeting is dismissed." As they all got out of the meeting room, Folken sighed. He really needed a break from being King. And Eries? What would she say when she found out he was planning to engage her? Oh, the horrors. After all, she only saw him as a brother. Didn't she?

'Now I know what Hitomi felt like.' He thought. Turning to a corner, he bumped into Van, who was walking from the direction of the Library, holding some books.

"The library _again_, Van? I never knew you were such a big reader. In fact, I would swear the reason you're there is because of the new librarian."

"I don't go flirting to librarians." Van answered shortly. "And she has a name. It's Celena." With that, he walked on. Folken laughed. It was obvious Van had taken more than a liking with the new librarian. Smiling, he decided to visit the gardens.

When he reached it, he walked over to a rather big tree. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, he climbed it when he was sure no one could see him. Thinking about the time he was young, Folken got on to a higher branch. He recalled the time he had first met Eries.

It was her first visit to Fanelia, and thinking that she was just another one of those prissy girls, he had avoided her by hiding in the tree. One day, he had been happily munching apples when she came into view. He threw an apple core at her just to see her reaction. It wasn't pleasant. Knowing that he was in that tree, she had thrown the core right back at him. And it hit him in the face. That was the beginning of their so-called war. Folken would play one prank or another, and Eries would get him back by damaging him with whatever he had done to her. Unfortunately for him, she was always aware of her surroundings, and her paybacks were always painful. Finally, Folken began to have visible scars and bruises. But what was worse was that his sister and brother both liked her. After that, Folken had sighed defeat.

Closing his eyes, he wished he was back to being a mischievous teenager. 'If only fate was a machine...' he thought.

* * *

Well, ppl, that was Chapter 4. What do u think of it?

Okay, I need some help here. Should Hitomi enter the tournament or not? Plz tell me what you think in ur reviews. (that is, if u choose to review)

Joshua Glass: well, you've whined for it, and now you've got it.

bandescafreak: thanx and yeah, DXH RULES!

shadows-insanity: I've updated. btw, i like your that name, shadows-insanity...

Chisakami Saiyuki: we all like DxH pairings, don't we?

Sorcerer of Darkness: It depends on how many ppl think she should enter the tournamnent.

Koriina: Is Dilandau still an ass in this story? Hopefully not!

Kimpatsu no Hoseki:I think this chapter is better.

Sakura Shinguji-Albatou: Eighteen of fifteen...it doesn't matter. He's HOT! .:drools:.


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